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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29551218">love so sweet</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/yeonheon/pseuds/yeonheon'>yeonheon</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>VERIVERY (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Canon Compliant, Fluff, M/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 20:28:30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>5,757</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29551218</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/yeonheon/pseuds/yeonheon</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Dongheon and Yeonho bake cupcakes at two in the morning.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Ju Yeonho/Lee Dongheon</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>17</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>love so sweet</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Dongheon had never imagined when he had begun the journey all those years ago to become an idol that he’d be baking cupcakes at two in the morning in a t-shirt and shorts, but here he is and that’s exactly what he’s doing. </p><p>And that’s not all; he’s not alone in the madness that is the boredom that takes over when they’re on hiatus from promoting and haven’t yet begun comeback preparations. No, Dongheon’s partner in insanity, as is often the case, is Yeonho, who is right there with him in a matching state of undress. </p><p>It had all started when Dongheon had been unable to fall asleep after hours of tossing and turning uselessly in his bed all alone in his dark, quiet room. It’s been so long since they’ve had this much free time that Dongheon thinks that by now, his body just doesn’t know how to relax, and is in a state of shock from the sudden lack of stress and pressure to exhaust it into passing out every night for a few hours of shallow dozing. The sudden capability to fall asleep slowly, to fall asleep deeply, has become something completely foreign, and so Dongheon has spent his recent nights struggling to convince himself that, yes, he can rest and can rest well.  </p><p>Tonight had been particularly difficult, and for whatever reason, nothing was working even after hours and hours of effort. And Dongheon had really tried everything: music, meditation, watching an episode of a drama, reading some boring news articles about the stock market and what not, staring into the darkness and letting his mind wander, lying there with his eyes closed and counting sheep, then thinking about absolutely nothing, and none of it had made him even the tiniest bit closer to falling asleep, ultimately leading him to throw the covers off of himself in a frustrated huff and to leave his bedroom for a change of scenery.  </p><p>And it wasn’t long after, while Dongheon was awkwardly pacing around the kitchen with a glass of water and hoping that walking around a bit might finally convince his body to switch over to sleep mode, that he was joined by the first to follow his bad example, Kangmin, Minchan, and Yongseung, who, after a short greeting and a few minutes of digging around in the cabinets for some snacks and drinks, promptly retreated to the living room to watch a movie. It turns out, Dongheon wasn’t the only one who was having trouble resting properly during their down time.  </p><p>In fact, it wasn’t much long after <i>that</i> that they were then joined by Gyehyeon who, rather than joining the others in the living room, decided to hang around in the kitchen with Dongheon, the two of them chatting aimlessly by the fridge like two office workers hanging around a water cooler just to avoid having to go back to work. </p><p>And it was only about ten minutes later that the last to join the impromptu late-night party were Hoyoung and Yeonho emerging into the kitchen, the entire group now having admitted defeat in the fight against insomnia, and while they all exchanged complaints about how very much not-tired they were, it was Yeonho who finally suggested that they cook or bake something as a means to keep them busy for a while rather than just standing around and whining about it. </p><p>It was after a few minutes of debate that they finally settled on making strawberry cupcakes. It was the perfect choice; they already had all of the ingredients left over from making a strawberry cake just last week, they could make a lot of cupcakes quite easily and so would have something to share with their staff tomorrow, there would be no open fire or knives involved (they were all sleep-deprived, after all, and had to keep it simple), and they all reasoned that perhaps a sugar rush followed by a sugar crash could be the right thing to finally do the trick and knock them all out for the night. </p><p>And so, the late night cupcake baking saga began, and though Hoyoung and Gyehyeon had been involved in the beginning, helping to find the recipe that they had used before and assisting with gathering all of the ingredients throughout their messy dorm kitchen, eventually, the two of them had lost interest and had wandered off to watch the movie in the living room with the others, leaving the actual preparation to Dongheon and Yeonho alone in the kitchen with what had now become their own chaotic project to make enough cupcakes for the seven of them, plus their staff and manager, when they were both running on over 20 hours without sleep and when only one of them (Yeonho) was really any good at it.  </p><p>And despite the fact that he should shortly be exhausted from doing this, Dongheon soon finds himself as full of energy as ever, and he wonders if this was actually the dumbest idea in the world or the best, and whether this will result in him fucking up his sleep schedule entirely if he sleeps into the late afternoon tomorrow. </p><p>But then again, it’s mostly Yeonho who’s doing everything anyway. He’s the one who really knows his way around the kitchen, and the truth is, at this point, Dongheon is mostly just there to keep him company and to bring him things, Dongheon cracking stupid, cringey jokes and acting dumb and cute to make Yeonho laugh (and spill ingredients), Yeonho whining in fake annoyance and pushing away the ever-clingy Dongheon but laughing through it, Dongheon’s heart warming at Yeonho’s cute smile, because Dongheon knows very well that Yeonho has been in need of something fun like this. </p><p>Yeonho has been having a lot of trouble relaxing lately too, and of course Dongheon has noticed. It’s something that they’ve never really talked about, but they’re both fully aware of it. As the main vocalist, Yeonho feels a lot of pressure for the group’s success, something that, as the leader, Dongheon perfectly understands because he feels it too, and just like Dongheon, Yeonho often grows anxious and restless when the group is on hiatus, and when doing nothing feels like a betrayal to everything that they’ve been working so hard for. </p><p>Maybe they’re both just workaholics, but Dongheon knows that Yeonho will do everything that he can to keep it all to himself instead of burdening anyone else, and Dongheon can’t say he blames him because he’ll do the exact same thing. The two of them, as always, will share a mutual understanding about it without having to say a word, comforting each other in more subtle and indirect ways, but fully aware and appreciative that, underneath it all, they’ll be each other’s strength. </p><p>And so it feels great to see Yeonho genuinely at ease, the two of them letting go of some of that pressure for at least a little while as they busy themselves with something completely trivial, for once not thinking about their careers or their art or their futures and the uncertainty that comes with dedicating themselves to a life of music and the stage. Right now, there’s only cupcakes and stupid jokes, and seeing that light in Yeonho’s eyes and in his smile, bright and easy. </p><p>Dongheon has been noticing those more and more lately, Yeonho’s eyes and Yeonho’s smile. The thing is, Yeonho has really grown up since Dongheon first met him, and when he steps back and really looks, Dongheon doesn’t know what to think about it, because Yeonho was always cute, always pretty, and Dongheon had always loved him, and it had always seemed like such a simple thing, a hyung’s love for his favorite dongsaeng, a deeply-held affection for his closest and most comfortable friend.  </p><p>But lately, Yeonho has been giving Dongheon different feelings that he doesn’t understand, feelings that are completely unfamiliar and yet completely undeniable, like he’s only now starting to see Yeonho clearly. And really, Dongheon doesn’t understand what any of it means, only that he sometimes catches himself staring for a little too long, or his heart thumping a little too hard whenever their eyes meet. </p><p>Dongheon lets his thoughts drift away into nothing as the atmosphere in the kitchen soon grows cozy, with the soft lighting of the kitchen and the faint background noise of the rest of the kids watching the movie in the living room and the snow falling outside the window while they’re all warm and comfortable, safe inside their dorm.  </p><p>And Dongheon watches as Yeonho gathers and prepares the ingredients for the first batch together in a large mixing bowl, Dongheon admiring the focus in Yeonho’s soft eyes and the skill of his hands, the way that Yeonho hums low and deep in his throat as he works, then sings a string of melodic lyrics to himself, his voice rich and smooth and completely casual, effortlessly beautiful. It’s enchanting, and Dongheon finds himself transfixed.  </p><p>“Are you planning to help me at some point, or are you just going to keep staring at me?” Yeonho suddenly asks with a smile, not even looking up from where he’s flawlessly cracking eggs into the mixing bowl without missing a beat. </p><p>Dongheon starts a little in surprise as he’s pulled out of his trance, and he feels himself blush before he brushes it all off with a sly smirk and a low chuckle, and he saunters over to Yeonho’s side at the kitchen counter without saying a word, Dongheon casually resting a hand on Yeonho’s shoulder while he watches Yeonho finish combining all of the ingredients into the bowl, Yeonho shaking his head and laughing softly in amusement, his laughter like music that Dongheon can feel dance all over his skin.  </p><p>A few seconds later, Yeonho reaches for a large wooden spoon to mix it all together, but instead of starting on it himself, he turns to Dongheon and offers it to him, Yeonho’s eyes shining and his eyebrows slightly raised. </p><p>“Why don’t you do this part, hyung?” Yeonho says with a sweet smile. “I’ll get started on the next batch.” </p><p>There’s a slight pause between them as their eyes meet, something clear but unspoken flickering between them before Dongheon nods, accepting the spoon without breaking eye contact right away. Yeonho is the one who finally turns away to begin preparing the next batch while Dongheon lets out another little laugh and then turns his focus to mixing the ingredients in the large mixing bowl in front of him, Dongheon gripping onto the rim of the bowl with one hand and beginning to stir the spoon with the other. And it all seems simple enough; really, there couldn’t be anything simpler than this. </p><p>And yet, somehow, Dongheon is absolutely terrible at it. No matter how much he mixes, no matter what angle he uses or how precisely he rolls his wrist, no matter how much he furrows his brows and applies more force than is probably necessary, he just can’t seem to get rid of the lumps in the batter, nor can he seem to mix any of the ingredients properly, with large clumps of flour and egg stubbornly refusing to blend nicely with everything else, and Dongheon soon grows frustrated, eventually dropping the bowl and the spoon down on the counter and letting out a huff, crossing his arms across his chest. </p><p>It’s then that Yeonho suddenly comes over from the other side of the kitchen, and he moves in behind Dongheon almost as if to give him a backhug, Dongheon going a little breathless for a moment as Yeonho presses in close to him from behind, Yeonho’s chest pressed against Dongheon’s back and Yeonho’s arms suddenly around him as Yeonho peers around Dongheon’s shoulder. Though normally, this wouldn’t be anything that notable, when they’re both only half-dressed, it feels a little odd to be so close like this, and Dongheon’s heart starts to race, his face going red again, and he wonders what the heck Yeonho is doing. </p><p>But instead of a backhug, Yeonho gently takes Dongheon’s hands in his, and he directs Dongheon to pick up the bowl and the spoon again, and with his hands on top of Dongheon’s, Yeonho holds Dongheon’s hands gently, one on the rim of the mixing bowl and the other on the spoon, and he guides Dongheon through the correct way to mix the batter, Yeonho using his hold on Dongheon’s hands to guide him to stir and fold and whip and mix all of the ingredients until the batter is smooth and creamy and lusciously fragrant with strawberry and vanilla, and Yeonho’s hands are warm and soft on Dongheon’s hands, Yeonho’s body warm and soft against Dongheon’s body, and it all makes Dongheon feel like he’s suddenly drunk. </p><p>When the batter is perfect and there’s nothing left to be done, Yeonho gently lets go and steps away without a word or anything else, and Dongheon feels too shy to look at him, Dongheon’s face burning as he stares down into the mixing bowl and his mind scrambles to understand what just happened, but when Yeonho turns away to go back to whatever he was working on at the other side of the kitchen, Dongheon takes a quick peek, and he can spot the flush at the back of Yeonho’s neck and at the tips of his ears, Dongheon turning back to the bowl in front of him and letting out a quiet, nervous little laugh under his breath. </p><p>Dongheon’s hands are shaking slightly, his heart still racing, and he needs a long moment to compose himself before he goes back to...what was he doing again? Oh yes, the cupcakes. </p><p>Dongheon busies himself with something even simpler than before, doling out the batter into the cupcake tins that they had prepared to be put in the oven, and he soon becomes very focused on what he’s doing, on perfectly portioning out the batter evenly for all of the cupcakes with the care and precision of an expert even as he feels like his head is buzzing and his hands are still tingling from the feeling of Yeonho’s on his. </p><p>When he’s all finished with that and the cupcakes are ready to go, he places the full baking tin by the oven that’s already preheated and just waiting for the second batch to be ready to go in at the same time, and it’s as Dongheon is turning back around that Yeonho, holding a bag of flour, almost walks right into him, both of them stopping short just inches from colliding and Yeonho’s flinching in surprise sending up a huge burst of flour into the air between them like a sudden flurry of snow. </p><p>When it all settles, there’s a huge mess all over the floor around them and all over <i>them</i>, and it’s all over their clothes, not to mention their hair and their faces and whatever bare skin they’ve left exposed in their sleepwear, and Dongheon coughs a bit from some of the flour that he’d breathed in by mistake, his eyes flickering open, and when he sees Yeonho, coughing with flour all in his hair and all over his face, still clutching tight to the flour package, Dongheon can’t help but to smile, to laugh softly as he steps back towards Yeonho and their eyes meet. </p><p>Dongheon then reaches with both hands to brush some of the flour out of Yeonho’s hair, Dongheon gently combing his fingers through the soft, silky strands to clear out as much of the flour as he can, smiling fondly as he does it, and Yeonho seems to be a little tense about it, like he’s holding his breath as Dongheon comes in closer, and Yeonho’s face starts to flush just as Dongheon’s had before when Dongheon brushes Yeonho’s hair away and out of his eyes, and Dongheon is feeling it too, that something about this seems so strangely intimate.  </p><p>Dongheon then reaches to touch Yeonho’s face, first gently brushing the tips of his fingers over the flour dusting over Yeonho’s perfect, round cheeks, Yeonho’s eyes fluttering and going half-lidded as Dongheon clears away the flour from just beneath his eyes and then from his forehead, Yeonho’s lips parting slightly as Dongheon’s fingers lightly brush the flour away from the corner of Yeonho’s mouth. </p><p>And what had Dongheon been thinking before, about Yeonho growing up so much? Well, he has grown up quite a lot since Dongheon has known him, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t still have moments like this, moments where it’s like they’ve gone back in time, back to when they first met and Yeonho was so adorable that Dongheon immediately fell in love with his cuteness and wanted nothing more than to baby him.  </p><p>Of course, the flour had made a huge mess, and there’s no getting rid of all of it without a shower, and Dongheon himself is a mess even if he hadn’t gotten a face-full quite like Yeonho had, but it doesn’t really feel like it matters at all, both of them smiling shyly as they part, Yeonho going back to finishing up the second batch while Dongheon cleans up the flour that’s gotten on the floor. </p><p>When he’s finished, Dongheon’s attention returns to Yeonho, and now, instead of doing anything helpful to the preparation of the cupcakes, Dongheon is back to hovering around him in the very casual, teasing, playful kind of way that Yeonho is all too familiar with, Dongheon clinging to Yeonho’s shoulders and poking at his cheeks and asking him dumb questions about what he’s doing, Dongheon being annoying and cute on purpose as Yeonho just shakes his head fondly while still managing to perfectly mix the second batch, until Dongheon finally settles on giving Yeonho a tight backhug around his waist and resting his chin on Yeonho’s shoulder as he watches Yeonho finish his work.  </p><p>After the second batch is ready, Yeonho portions it out into the second cupcake tin, Yeonho then sliding both tins into the oven to bake, and from there, Dongheon finally lets go of him, ever so casually leaning back against the kitchen counter like he wasn’t just clinging to Yeonho like a koala and whispering aegyo nonsense in his ear as Yeonho just did everything that he could not to burst into laughter and make even more of a mess than they already had made.  </p><p>About twenty minutes or so go by while the cupcakes are baking, and the two of them chat a little aimlessly like always, joking around and laughing as the aroma of the baking cupcakes makes everything feel all dreamy and the air itself start to taste sweeter, and maybe it’s because he’s sleep-deprived, but Dongheon just can’t stop staring at Yeonho, still covered in flour, flushed and bare-faced, smiling wide with those big, beautiful eyes of his, looking so cuddly and huggable yet so handsome, and soon, Dongheon can’t even hear what Yeonho is saying, it all just fades away and in its place is this soft, gentle glow around him that Dongheon is pretty sure only he can see.  </p><p>Dongheon is eventually snapped out of his trance when the two of them are suddenly interrupted by Hoyoung coming into the kitchen to grab some napkins, and it’s a little weird as Dongheon and Yeonho both fall silent and smile awkwardly, like they were caught in the act of...something...and Hoyoung gives them a confused look, raising an eyebrow before he slips back out into the living room, and of course, neither Dongheon or Yeonho can see it when Hoyoung returns to the other members, rolling his eyes before nodding and giving them all a knowing look. </p><p>Soon enough, the cupcakes are ready, and Dongheon takes them out of the oven, setting them on the counter to cool while Yeonho works on the frosting (it’s vanilla but they’re dying it pink), and Dongheon helps him out where he can, but he mostly just does more of the same as before, hovering and clinging and cracking dumb jokes and acting nauseatingly cute, making an absolute fool of himself. What can he say? He’s addicted to it, to Yeonho’s laugh.  </p><p>The cupcakes then go into the freezer for a few minutes to finish cooling so they’ll be ready to frost, and Dongheon and Yeonho suddenly find themselves standing around again waiting before they can complete the next step, but unlike before, now, it suddenly feels a little awkward for some inexplicable reason, like they both want to say something but don’t know where to begin.  </p><p>The other members are loud out in the living room, laughing and yelling because something exciting must have happened in whatever movie they’re watching, and it only further emphasizes how quiet the kitchen has become.  </p><p>And this...this is something truly odd, Dongheon and Yeonho together in silence as they lean against the kitchen counter and exchange soft, nervous laughter without saying a word. It’s the last thing that anyone who knows them would expect to see, the two of them in such a state of...<i>shyness</i> with each other when they’ve been known to talk and laugh so much when they’re together that their faces ache and their voices go hoarse. </p><p>It’s Yeonho who finally breaks the silence when he turns to Dongheon and says softly, “Since we’ll need to wait a bit longer, why don’t you go shower and I’ll get started on cleaning up?” </p><p>Dongheon gives him a little half-smile and shakes his head. “You go first,” Dongheon says. “I think I’m the one responsible for the mess, right? Besides...” </p><p>He looks Yeonho up and down, his eyes traveling over the flour dusted all over Yeonho’s shirt and sprinkled at the bare skin of Yeonho’s throat and around his collarbone, Dongheon’s gaze moving up until he meets Yeonho’s eyes. “You need it much more than I do,” Dongheon finishes with a chuckle. </p><p>“Are you sure you can handle this yourself?” Yeonho teases, taking a slow step towards Dongheon and grinning. “We made a huge mess, didn’t we?” </p><p>Dongheon feels his breath going a little short as Yeonho steps in close to him, Dongheon’s eyes never leaving Yeonho’s, but he manages a smirk, hiding the way that his heart is thumping hard.  </p><p>“Go get yourself cleaned up,” Dongheon says, and he playfully pats at Yeonho’s shoulder before giving it a little squeeze. “You can help me when you come back.”  </p><p>There’s a pause right then between the two of them where they’re just looking at each other in silence, something sparking in the air between them, invisible but otherwise completely impossible to ignore, and Yeonho blinks slowly, once, twice, before he nods and then turns away to leave, Dongheon watching Yeonho go and leaning back on the kitchen counter as his eyes fall down Yeonho’s backside, Dongheon gripping at the edge of the counter with white knuckles.  </p><p>While Yeonho is in the shower, Dongheon does everything that he can to distract himself by cleaning up the huge mess that they had made of the kitchen from preparing the cupcakes, does everything he can to keep his mind from drifting too far out of the room, certainly keeping his thoughts far, far away from the bathroom, from the shower... </p><p>And Dongheon is busy wiping the kitchen counter for the fourth time even though it’s already sparkling clean when Yeonho returns, Dongheon hearing Yeonho come in before he sees him, turning around when Yeonho greets him softly and Dongheon’s heart skipping a beat when he lays eyes on him.  </p><p>Yeonho is wearing a different t-shirt and pair of shorts than before, naturally, his shirt bigger and looser but the shorts smaller and more fitted to the curves of his thighs and ass, and he’s still flushed from the steam of the shower, his hair still wet and a bit messy from his drying it off quickly with a towel, and he looks so beautiful and smells so amazing that Dongheon feels a little dizzy as he stares at Yeonho for much longer than can be excused and doesn’t even bother trying to hide it. </p><p>Yeonho, of course, doesn’t miss Dongheon’s obvious fixation, and he gives Dongheon an incredulous look, laughing quietly when he meets Dongheon’s eyes, and there’s another long, strange pause between them when Yeonho steps towards Dongheon, Yeonho shyly tucking a few strands of his wet hair behind his ear and looking somewhere off to the side. </p><p>“Your turn,” Yeonho says, and he turns away to go over to the freezer, taking out the trays of cupcakes and laying them carefully on the kitchen counter, all while Dongheon doesn’t move because he can’t seem to get his legs to work properly at the moment. </p><p>“I’ll get these frosted,” Yeonho says, his back to Dongheon, and he pauses for a few beats, and at Dongheon’s continued lack of response, Yeonho looks at him from over his shoulder. </p><p>“They’ll be all ready by the time you’re finished,” Yeonho says, his voice low and soft. </p><p>And something about Yeonho's voice when he says that has Dongheon’s heart racing again, and he just laughs it off quietly as he leaves the kitchen to go take his shower, Dongheon finding the need to set the water quite colder than usual.  </p><p>When he’s all finished, Dongheon goes to his room to change into clean clothes, and since he’s still feeling a bit too hot, he goes for a sleeveless shirt this time, the big, loose armholes showing off peeks of his bare chest and torso whenever he moves.  </p><p>Dongheon then returns to the kitchen, his wet hair slicked back except for a few stray tendrils hanging down over his eyes, and he arrives just in time to see that the cupcakes are all frosted, and all of the other members have gathered around to try them, everyone chatting and laughing as the sugar quickly kicks in, but Yeonho is hanging back off to the side. </p><p>It’s then that Yeonho spots Dongheon and gives him a gentle little smile before pretending to turn his attention back to the other members, but Dongheon can feel it that Yeonho is completely focused on him as he casually strides over to mix in with the others, and then Dongheon can feel Yeonho’s eyes on him again as he checks out the cupcakes. </p><p>They look absolutely perfect; Yeonho had done a beautiful job and the aroma of the frosting is heavenly saturating the air with sweet vanilla. The other members are all chatting amongst themselves as they grab plates and napkins and drinks to take to the living room so they can finish watching their movie, one by one separating and leaving the kitchen until it’s only Dongheon and Yeonho back to being all alone together. </p><p>It’s then that Dongheon finally chooses a cupcake to try, picking the one that looks the fluffiest and prettiest like the person who made them, and it’s only then, after everyone else has gotten to try one, that Yeonho chooses one for himself, murmuring about how they’ll want to pack up the rest soon so that they can give some to the staff and their manager tomorrow.  </p><p>Dongheon finally takes a bite then and he has to stop himself from moaning, the cupcakes are so perfect. He takes another bite, his eyes fluttering as the vanilla frosting melts in his mouth, then he nudges at Yeonho, who’s quietly enjoying his own cupcake next to him. </p><p>“These turned out amazing, you’re incredible,” Dongheon says, and Yeonho, always humble, just shrugs off the compliment and tries to change the subject, something about the movie that the rest of the kids are watching and how they were telling him all about it while Dongheon was in the shower, but Dongheon doesn’t let him off that easy.  </p><p>“They’re seriously perfect,” Dongheon says as he takes another bite and then closes his eyes, letting all of that wonderful sugar flood his veins. His eyes flutter open, and he pauses before he looks at Yeonho, waiting for Yeonho to look at him before he says, “I can taste all the love we put in.” </p><p>There’s a long beat of silence before they both burst out laughing at that, Dongheon grinning wide and Yeonho having to turn away to compose himself as he face-palms, and Dongheon feels just as much of a rush from their sleep-deprived, sugar-high laughter as from the cupcake itself. He feels full of energy, he feels more alert, he feels more <i>alive</i> than ever.  </p><p>Their laughter softens, Yeonho turning back to Dongheon and both of them quieting to a silence again where they’re both just looking at each other and smiling, and the hush between them is gentle and sweet, Dongheon’s chest feeling warm as he lets out a long sigh, looking at Yeonho and realizing something.  </p><p>“They’re great,” Dongheon murmurs. “But there’s something missing, isn’t there?” </p><p>Yeonho doesn’t say anything, his lips parted slightly as he takes in what Dongheon is saying, and Dongheon can see it in Yeonho’s eyes, that Yeonho is turning it over, wondering if he’s deciphering Dongheon’s words correctly, the little flash of understanding lighting up Yeonho’s eyes for a single moment before suddenly, the other members are piling back into the kitchen for more cupcakes because the movie is over and Dongheon and Yeonho are snapped out of their trance. </p><p>And then, it’s a flurry of activity for a while, everyone now hanging out in the kitchen and chattering, but everyone is also much sleepier than before, and what hadn’t worked on Dongheon had worked like a charm on the others who, one by one, retire for the rest of the night (though by now it’s early into the morning) until Dongheon and Yeonho are alone once again, the last ones in the kitchen packing up all of the remaining cupcakes for tomorrow.  </p><p>And it’s so quiet now, the sounds of the other members washing up and going back to bed having already long faded and the rest of the dorm dark except for the little bit of light left in the kitchen, and Dongheon’s fingers feel like they’re tingling with electricity, aching to touch.  </p><p>“I’m still wide awake,” Dongheon says, casually leaning back against the kitchen counter and tilting his head back as he watches Yeonho put the cupcakes away in the freezer. “So...great cupcakes, but mission failure?” </p><p>“Same here,” Yeonho says with a soft laugh, his back to Dongheon as he moves some items around in the freezer to fit everything neatly, and there’s another longer silence between them, Dongheon watching Yeonho with half-lidded eyes until Yeonho feels Dongheon’s gaze on him and turns to look, one hand still on the freezer door, Dongheon suddenly looking down at the kitchen floor and tracing a little pattern with his toes.  </p><p>“Want to hang out in my room for a while?” Dongheon asks. </p><p>---------- </p><p>It’s already late into the afternoon when Dongheon emerges into the kitchen from his bedroom the following day. He's shirtless and his hair is a mess, the sun extra bright today and lighting up the entire dorm in warm natural light, and the weather, too, is warmer than it’s been in weeks, much of the snow from yesterday already melted. Heck, Dongheon thinks that it’s the kind of day that, if he went outside, he’d hear birds singing. </p><p>He blinks slowly, running a hand through his hair as his vision goes in and out of focus on the room around him. His blood feels like it’s running extra slow and lazy, but he feels warm and relaxed all over, so, so relaxed like he’s never known tension or stress, and it had been so difficult to get himself out of bed, he had wanted to just stay there forever. He had even struggled just putting on his shorts that he had picked up off of his bedroom floor, and now, he doesn’t remember why he came out here to the kitchen at all, he’s still in a daze, still half-asleep, still in bed, still— </p><p>“Finally decided to get up?” Gyehyeon asks from where he’s digging through the kitchen pantry. </p><p>Dongheon just gives him a little chuckle under his breath, not in any state to have an actual conversation right now and remembering that he came here just to grab some water, and so he slips past Gyehyeon to the fridge to grab a bottle to take back to his room. </p><p>Gyehyeon is staring at him as Dongheon twists off the cap and takes a short drink while leaning on the open fridge door, Gyehyeon raising an eyebrow as he says, “Your shorts are on backwards.”  </p><p>Dongheon chokes a little at that, spurts out some of the water down his chin while Gyehyeon keeps eyeing him suspiciously for a few long beats. “We gave the cupcakes to some of the staff this morning, and everyone loved them,” Gyehyeon says. “The others are already awake, everyone’s out and doing things except us. And Yeonho too, I guess. Haven’t seen him.”  </p><p>Gyehyeon pauses just as Dongheon is closing the door to the fridge, water bottle in hand and turning to slip back to his bedroom, every cell in his body wanting nothing more than to return to his bed as soon as possible, but Dongheon can feel Gyehyeon’s eyes still on him and now intensely curious.  </p><p>“I’m going back to bed,” Dongheon says, giving Gyehyeon a little wave to which Gyehyeon raises an eyebrow again. “I’m not ready to be awake just yet.”  </p><p>Gyehyeon doesn’t say anything in response to that, or maybe he does, but Dongheon isn’t paying any attention because his mind is elsewhere now, back in his room and in his bed and under the covers. His heart jumps a little in his chest and he smiles a dopey little smile to himself as he slips quietly through the hallway then back inside his room and closes the door. </p><p>He pauses then, leaning against the door and feeling breathless, his lips parted and mind going foggy, his body warming up and his heart pounding like he’s slipping right back into a dream as his gaze falls over smooth, creamy skin half-hidden by blankets and soft, messy hair shining in the sunlight before finally meeting and melting into big, beautiful brown eyes. </p><p>The cupcakes had turned out great, yes, but now, Dongheon has tasted something even sweeter.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>if you enjoyed this fic, please leave a kudos or comment ❤️</p><p>also check out my <a href="https://twitter.com/yeonheonlove">yeonheon twitter</a>, my <a href="https://twitter.com/yeonheonlife">personal twitter</a>, and my <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyNcIoyYpPO5KVjZgnvZsOg">youtube channel</a> ❤️</p></blockquote></div></div>
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